40. Simon Kim: How Failure Cultivates Resilience
Imagine walking into a bustling restaurant filled with intoxicating energy. The awards hanging on the walls, food is hitting the table, the wine is flowing, the music is setting the mood, and you even spot a celebrity face or two in the corner booth. When that picture is painted, it's not hard to see why restaurants get romanticized. Yet, what is usually hidden behind the curtains is often the turmoil of day to day operations and the sad reality of how many perceived successful restaurants can barely pay the light bill. Our next guest, restaurateur Simon Kim, personally knows what it's like to be in that position. Before opening New York's first Michelin starred Korean steakhouse, Cote with a newly opened 2nd outpost in Miami, Simon had to deal with failure. In today's conversation, we dive into his formative teenage years having to adapt in America as an immigrant and what it was like to run his former restaurant Piora, a bustling Michelin starred restaurant that could not financially sustain itself. He shares with us the valuable lessons he's learned through that experience and how he's evolved into the restaurateur he is today as the owner of Gracious Hospitality Management. We talk about his philosophy on growing the business with the right team and the right financial goals. This episode is a must listen. It’s an honest conversation about turning failure into wisdom and resiliency. Use code TAOP10 for 10% off Perrier-Jouet: https://bit.ly/3ptPC6S For more info on Cote: https://bit.ly/3uuCwH9 Follow Simon on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3mbcEw5 Info on Cote Wine Club: https://bit.ly/3ulOdzZ For more info on The Art of Plating: https://bit.ly/3kEvQ6r Sign up for our Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2TrNfEg Follow The Art of Plating: https://bit.ly/3isPJLa Follow On The Pass: https://bit.ly/3BpHckD Follow our Host, Gabriel Ornelas: https://bit.ly/3hTpONC Ask about our creative agency, FARE: https://madebyfare.com